Adopt-A-Team

Jason Michael Barker

If you're anything like me (and according to our recent survey, you very well may be), your favorite team has already been all but mathematically eliminated from playoff contention. I don't think it's any kind of secret that I pull for the Seattle Mariners, who as I'm writing this stand 6-1/2 games back of the lead in the American League wild card race. Believe me, the M's are not in the race, despite what all those callers to our local sports radio station would have you believe. Being 6-1/2 games back of a single team is one thing, but trailing three teams is quite another.

Back to the point at hand -- your team is not in a pennant race. In order to fully enjoy the rest of the season, I suggest adopting a temporary team to pull for down the stretch, not at the expense of your regular favorite team, but just to have something interesting to root for over the next month or so. Think of yourself as a "rent-a-fan," who's going to re-sign with the hometown club this off-season.

Where to begin? First of all, if you're a fan of the Yankees, Indians, Rangers or Diamondbacks, this doesn't apply to you. Your team has already pretty much locked up that post-season berth, and like the team, you should be preparing for October. Second, if you root for the Red Sox, Athletics, Blue Jays, Braves, Mets, Astros or Reds, you're also ineligible, since your team is right in the thick of a pennant race and needs your full support.

Finally, in choosing your adopted team, it's important to select a club that is actually in a race, not one that has a comfortable lead in their division. That rules out the first group of teams mentioned above, who are sitting pretty at this point. The teams to consider are the ones in the second list, the ones who are fighting for their playoff lives: Boston, Oakland, Toronto, Atlanta, the Mets, Houston and Cincinnati.

Faced with this situation last season (remember, the Mariners weren't in a pennant race last year either), I selected the Toronto Blue Jays as my adopted club. In case you don't remember, the Jays dumped a ton of veterans (and their salaries) at the trading deadline and subsequently played much better over the final two months of the season, making a run at the wild card before falling short in the end.

In addition to having several young players I liked (Carlos Delgado and Shannon Stewart, to name two), I was a frequent contributor to the team's Usenet newsgroup last year, so adopting the Jays wasn't all that difficult; I even caught a few key games on RealAudio over the 'net.

This season there are several teams to chose from, however. Here's a quick look at how I arrived at my adopted team for 1999, which hails from the AL since that's the league I know best.

In the AL, you've got Boston, Oakland and Toronto as candidates, where one of the three will win the wild card. I'll come right out and tell you that I'm pulling for Oakland, for a variety of reasons.

Despite resources that pale in comparison to those of, say, the Yankees, the Athletics have done a wonderful job of developing players in their farm system. Current starters Ben Grieve, Jason Giambi, Miguel Tejada and Eric Chavez were all homegrown, products of a system that emphasizes plate discipline above all else. Then there's Matt Stairs, who was signed to a minor-league contract in 1995, and last year's free agent signings, John Jaha and Tony Phillips. All in all, the A's have done a fabulous job with a very low payroll.

Then a month ago when it was time to put up or shut up, as the saying goes, the Athletics bucked conventional wisdom and decided to play for this season. Kenny Rogers was off to the Mets, but the A's acquired Kevin Appier, Omar Olivares and Randy Velarde -- and actually lowered their payroll in the process.

Nothing would make me happier than to see the Oakland Athletics take their $20-odd million payroll all the way to the World Series, beating the big-money Yankees along the way.

To touch briefly on the National League -- like I said earlier, there are four teams in pennant races: New York, Atlanta, Houston, and Cincinnati. Up for grabs are the East and Central division titles, plus the wild card, meaning one team is going to be playing golf while the other three will move on.

Because I've already latched on to Oakland, I'm not really picking a club from the Senior Circuit. However, I am happy to pick a team to root against -- Atlanta, who I've seen just about enough of in recent post-seasons.

Any of the other three would be a great choice for you. I like the Mets because they had a great off-season in terms of player moves, from signing Rickey Henderson and Robin Ventura to re-signing Mike Piazza and Mark Leiter to trading for Armando Benitez and Roger Cedeño.

I like the Reds because they're similar to Oakland, although they've spent a bit more on players this season. Still, they're getting the job done without spending $50, or even $40 million. Also there's that fabulous bullpen led by rookie Scott Williamson, and the way manager Jack McKeon isn't set on using him as a traditional closer.

I'm also a big fan of what the Astros have done recently, both with their farm system and development of young pitchers, namely Scott Elarton. Plus they've got Craig Biggio, who just might be the most underappreciated player in all of baseball.

So there you have it. Pick a team, learn more about them, and then start rooting for them with reckless abandon. If your adopted team makes the playoffs, great. I always find the playoffs more interesting if there's a team I'm at least remotely interested in (as opposed to that dull Braves-Indians World Series a few years back). If they don't, at least you got to follow a pennant race down the stretch.

about the author

Jason Michael Barker pulled for the baby go-go Rockies in '95, winning the "What Were You Thinking" award for the Seattle chapter of the Baseball Writers Who Like To Insult Each Other. Offer to help him get reinstated at jmb@strikethree.com.